Posts Tagged ‘CHC’

Wang Leyu broadcasts himself live for five hours, and sometimes all night. While he talks on camera about his life or hums a tune or dances, viewers watching on their phones write messages that pop up on his screen. Occasionally a bright icon flashes, meaning a fan has paid money to send him a virtual sticker as a tip.

,,,

Live-streamers entertain and inform in a variety of ways, from playing video games—so that viewers can watch their on-screen action—to giving English lessons. But the majority are young women who stream video of themselves as they flirt, sing or dance. Such diversions are a big hit among Chinese men. The most popular streams are viewed by over 100,000 people at a time.

Ling Ling, a 29-year-old living in Shanghai, has gone to great lengths to curate a picture-perfect life on social media. Her photos on micro-blogging site Weibo show her glamorous and leisurely life.

Dressed in fashionable clothing and with immaculate make-up, Ling Ling is seen dining at fancy cafes and restaurants; attending parties and social events with her girlfriends; travelling to places like Boracay, Tokyo and Dubai.

But she does not cultivate her online image just to make herself feel good or her friends jealous. She is one of the new internet celebrities, known as Wang Hong.

It’s a lucrative business, with Zhang Dayi, one of China’s best known Wang Hong, reportedly earning 300m yuan (£35m; $46m). This compares favourably to top Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who according to Forbes, made about $21m last year.

Our very own Serena Wee should become a Wang Hong like Ling Ling and Zhang Dayi. After all she has a “shop” selling clothes.

The two chinese gals sell. clothes and cosmetics on Taobao, China’s leading online shopping site. They post pictures of themselves modelling the clothes they sell, and some of their followers become their most loyal customers.

More on Serena http://mustsharenews.com/serina-wee-facts/

Come on Serena, get off yr ass. Go for the bucks like Kong Hee and Sun Ho.

Eat yr hearts out Kong Hee, Sun Ho and CHC members for nor seeling the Kingdom of Heaven but lucre.

God loves the Church of England, not you people who believe in the gospel of prosperity. He helps them make serious money while Kong Hee still has to finance his Sentisa Cove penthouse that is less worth than its purchase price.

The church commissioners, who manage the C of E’s £7bn investment fund, said they enjoyed market-beating returns of 8.2% last year but warned they would struggle to keep up that pace in future. Over the past 30 years the fund’s average annual return has been 9.7%.

…

The commissioners’ private equity managers returned 20.2% during 2015 and the value of the church’s £2bn property portfolio was up by more than 14%. The commissioners continued to invest in forestry with two new holdings in Australia, bringing the total to nearly 120,000 acres, they said. The timberland and forestry portfolio delivered a return of 13% last year.

Can’t stop laughing at Kong Hee’s attempt to explain why why Sun Ho hadn’t returned to the US to minimise losses to the church:

City Harvest Church (CHC) founder Kong Hee choked up a few times on the stand on Thursday as he told the court how investigations into financial irregularities at the church had affected his young son.

The pastor and five others are on trial for allegedly misusing church funds to boost the music career of his wife Ho Yeow Sun and falsifying church accounts to cover the misuse. “The whole investigation was shocking and traumatic for my little boy,” he said of his son Dayan, who was 5 1/2 years old when the Commercial Affairs Department started probing the church’s financial affairs in 2010.

Kong said his son started to have panic attacks and was “hyperventilating on most days”. He and his wife had to bring the boy to see a psychiatrist, he said.

Kong spoke [on why] why Ms Ho did not return to the United States to complete her album after the investigations started …”Dayan needed his mum to be around,” Kong said.

The boy attended a Christian school and Kong said that the “young and innocent” children asked his son: “Is your Dad in jail already?”

Wouldn’t son have been traumised by seeing mummy playing the slut in the videos? Wouldn’t everyone in the school be talking of her cavorting half naked in musical videos?

Oh I forgot, the videos were shown only to pagans and heathens.

But then, what about the photos of mum in a revealing red dress in ST? Wouldn’t that have got everyone in the school talking.

Come on pastor boy, You’re an RI boy. Think up a better idea to draw sympathy to yrself.

How about, “The publicity about the criminal charges brought about by the PAP govt would have made it impossible to market Sun Ho.” At the least the TRE posters will be cheering you on: they blame the govt for everything that does wrong in their lives, when they don’t hate those who have done well.

Kong Hee said the idea for using Sun Ho’s “talent” for singing to save souls arouse because she converted people in Taiwan through her singing. So why didn’t she launch a career based on the potential audience in Taiwan? Something that Stephanie Sun has done successfully. After all, as Stefanie has shown, the Taiwanese like skinny women.

Why did she have to go Hollywood to convert Asians? Waz the logic?

Nothing in the media reports of the trial indicate why the route to Chinese-speaking souls was via Hollywood. Or did I miss something?

Wrong Indon adviser or wrong god?

Taz what I tot when I read in BT that Indon tycoon and philanthropist Tahir is understood to be the buyer in the recent bulk transaction of 12 units at the completed, freehold Grange Infinite project. The transaction is said to have amounted to S$70-plus million.

The deal comprises 11 four-bedroom apartments ranging from around 2,560 sq ft to 2,700 sq ft each and a “junior penthouse” of 6,039 sq ft on the 20th level of the 36-storey freehold project.

The acquisition by Mr Tahir is said to price the apartments in the region of S$2,050 per square foot on average and the penthouse at around S$1,950 psf.

The 12 units were sold vacant. (BT recently)

This reminded me that while Orchard Rd area’s apartments had maintained their value, Sentosa Cove has gone the way of Auntie Ho’s Hollywood ambitions and lifestyle.

Or maybe his God did want him to get rich? Or his god was annoyed with Sun Ho’s Hollywood antics. Every god has standards on decency and taste.

Here’s the evidence that they’re fools. Or evidence that God’s the model for the Joker , Batman’s foe.

Penny wise, pound foolish?

One thing has puzzled me about the management team’s actions.

It was obvious from the testimony so far that at least his lietenants knew that the way that Sun Ho’s carrer was being funded* could be an issue with the auditors. Hence they claimed they had disclosed everything to the auditors esp to Comrade Brother Foong Daw Ching the head of the audit firm, who they claimed knew everything and was their consultant. Daw and the auditors denied everything, but they would wouldn’t they? Their testimony reminded me of “I know nothing, nothing” German sergeant in Hogan’s Heroes (a tv comedy series in the 70s)

What puzzled me was the absence of lawyers’ advice.

Now we know that Kong and gang only sought legal advice after police questioning

“Shaken to the core” was how the founder of the City Harvest Church felt when he was told by lawyers in early June 2010 that he and his five deputies had been negligent and “had done wrong” in managing the church’s finances.

Recounting yesterday that he had met up with the other accused and two lawyers a day after he recorded his first statement to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), Kong Hee, 49, said he had always consulted the lawyers and auditors on the church’s plans, be it bond investments or the financing of his singer-wife Sun Ho’s debut English album in the United States.

Taking the stand for the fourth day, he said: “I was shocked because I thought that all this while, we had relied on professionals to advise us; now one of the key professionals was saying we had done wrong.” (BT 15 August)

Were Kong and his lieutenants too mean to pay for legal advice. Every little penny for Auntie Ho and her Hollywoods friends?

Or did they have a suspicion that lawyers would advice against scheme? Too clever by half then?

Trusted that Kong had line to God

Xtron** had projected album sales of S$16 million in 2011, and S$23 million in 2012. A prosectuorpointed out that given there was neither a distribution contract nor an album contract, the figures were either “false, or at very best, purely speculative”.

John Lam, one of the defendants, said it was his belief in Kong Hee’s ability to make the Crossover Project a success which led to him supporting the church’s investment into the Xtron bonds, despite knowing that Xtron was not a profitable company, and that Sun Ho’s music albums were losing money.

We we now know based on the losses Kong is suffering as a result of his Sentosa Cove penthouse, that he doesn’t have a direct line the Fock Lok Siew God of Prosperity.

Dozens of houses – complete with their own private yacht berths and multiple swimming pools – sit empty while few lights are on in the apartment blocks overlooking the marina, a few kilometres away from Sentosa’s giant casino.

Prices in the gated community, where Australian mining tycoons Gina Rinehart and Nathan Tinkler bought properties, fell around 20 per cent in the past year as lending restrictions and taxes on foreign buyers burst a bubble in the South-east Asian financial hub’s luxury real estate market.

Investors could see the value of their assets fall even further with developers and investors still struggling to sell even after the recent price falls.(BT 29 August)

So why does the congregation still trust that he has a private line to god? Time to sacrifice him to propitiate the prosperity god? Or is CHC the ship of fools?

Not trusting CHC members

If only Khong and gang had trusted the congregation, and raised funds for Sun Ho’s Hollywood lifestyle. It’s clear from their actions: supporting “Project Crossover” after being told how it had been funded, and funding the defence of most of the defendants). Oh ye people of little faith.

To end on a different note,

The court also heard that the money spent on Ms Ho’s US album went “down the drain” when she had to return to Singapore to assist with investigations into the alleged financial irregularities within the church.

It’s obvious that the anti-PAP cyber-warriors hate those who are more well-off than them. Shouldn’t they be cursing the govt for making Kong, Ho and gang lose money, and spoiling her career? Or are the most virulent anti-PAP ranters also envious born-losers?

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*The prosecution alleges that payments between the church and Xtron was essentially moving money from one pocket to another. Its case is that the bonds were merely a device to funnel money from the church’s building fund into Xtron to be used for the church’s Crossover Project. Fronted by Ms Ho, the project was the church’s way of evangelising through pop music.

“The idea of using Xtron bonds was so it could be presented as an investment, and hide the fact that you were using building fund monies to fund Sun’s career,” said Lead Prosecutor Mavis Chionh, adding that there were telling signs that the bond investments were not genuine. For example, the church did not carry out due diligence on Xtron before subscribing to the bonds.

Money that went to Xtron was largely used to fund the church’s Crossover Project. In cross-examining former church board member John Lam, the prosecution pointed out that there was no basis for Xtron’s huge projected sales of Ms Ho’s then-delayed US album.

…

Church monies to the tune of S$4.79 million were used to meet expenses related to Sun Ho’s music albums, and this was something the church leaders had tried to hide, said the prosecution in the trial of City Harvest Church leaders on Tuesday (Aug 5)

**One of the companies the church invested in was Xtron, Ms Ho’s artiste management firm.

Anti-PAP cybernauts were quick to draw the conclusion that the PAP was doomed and publicise this ‘fact’. when Roy raised his $70,000 (and then a further $30,000) pretty quickly. So were S’poreans whose views I respect. Even I was impressed with the response. Until I read this:

Ohio man Zach Brown turned to crowdfunding to help fund a modest goal. He set up a Kickstarter page to help him make potato salad….just wanted to make a tasty side, but lacked the cash for basic ingredients.

He set a goal of $10 (£5.84). That’s low considering that the majority of successful Kickstarter projects raise between $1,000 and $9,999, but steep for homemade potato salad. But the humble and slightly ridiculous request – Brown promised to say the name of each backer aloud as he made the salad – took off. Five days into his challenge, Brown has raised almost $60,000 (£35,000), with most donors giving $4 or less.

US$60,000 is more than S$70,000. Both were raised within about the same time frame.

What the reaction to the fund raising shows is the low expectations that we S’poreans have of our fellow S’poreans’ civic consciousness: $70,000 in a few days is a big deal. Roy has a huge following on the internet and social media. Yet what gd has that done him? He faces a law suit that will bankrupt him and all he has as a result of his popularity is S$100,000++ fighting fund and the acclaim of netizens. “Noise” doesn’t pay the legal bills does it?.

And while on the topic of “Loud Thunder, Little Rain” from anti-PAP voices and netizens, both TRE and TOC have appealed for donations to keep their shoe-string operations going. No wonder the PAP considers the views from cyberspace ‘noise’. The talk of support doesn’t get translated into action i.e financial support for the idols of the anti-PAP cyber warriors, or in attendance at gigs. (Btw, here’s Han Hui Hui reporting that 1000 people attended her gig. Read the comments as it shows the length hoe divorced from reality some cybernuts are: example: PAP will lose next GE.)

Contrast that with the financial support that members of Kong Hee’s church are giving to the defence funds of most of those charged for criminally misappropriating their money to fund auntie Ho’s Hollywood life-style. Those funded have engaged expensive lawyers.

“We believe in you for better jobs, raises and bonuses, finding money, money finding us, incomes, royalties, real estates, dividends, inheritances…We pray to Jesus and there shall be a turnaround,” sums up the essence of the prosperity gospel*.

I was reminded of the above when it was reported yesterday that the trial of Kong Hee and friends was resuming.

Well his god seems to have left him to swing in the wind when it comes to property investing. Reminder: he owns a Senosa penthouse. A benefactor of Kong Hee’s church, an Indonesian tycoon, Wahju said in court a few months ago, that he and Kong have been paying $17,000 a month each for a penthouse at Ocean Drive since 2008. The tycoon had tot it would make a gd investment.

The penthose remains underwater, not literallo, of course. I was reminded of the penthouse by a BT report of a few weeks ago, that I juz read on Sunday.

ABOUT two in five Sentosa condominium units have resold at a loss in the past year, symptomatic of the plight of luxury homes here, as financing restrictions put off buyers, industry watchers say.

Since May last year, 31 units have changed hands at six Sentosa projects: Marina Collection, Seascape, The Azure, The Berth, The Coast and The Oceanfront, according to data compiled by STProperty.sg from URA Realis.

The profitability findings is in line with data gathered by HSR Research which shows resale prices at the plush Sentosa district falling 25 per cent to about $1,800 psf in the first five months of this year, compared to around $2,400 psf over the Jan-May 2013 period**.

Maybe his god thinks giving him Sun Ho and her filthy rich parents (they are paying his legal fees) is enough prosperity for one man? But he was too greedy and incurred the wrath of god? Hubris?

Or maybe he is a S’porean Job. The Lord’s praise of Job prompted Satan to challenge Job’s integrity, suggesting that Job served God simply because God protected him. God removed Job’s protection, allowing Satan to take his wealth, his children, and his physical health (but not his life) in order to test Job’s character. (Wikipedia)

And all will be well. God rewards Job’s obedience during his travails and restores his health and doubles his original riches.

Let’s see.

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*Another continent, another country (poorer). But the same rationale and motivation for donating generously

The service is for thanksgiving, which coincides with the first Sunday after payday. In what sounds like an economic report, the congregation is told to not worry about the first, second and third quarter of the year and that in the fourth quarter, there is still a chance to be blessed financially and materially. Congregants give testimonials describing long ambitions to land a job within government, to acquire a bigger house or a car and detailing how after fasting, praying, giving to the church, they are at last reaping the rewards. A leather-lined bin lands at Baobab’s feet. Give what you can, and you will be blessed …

… In Nigeria, where decades of governments have stolen hundreds of billions of dollars of oil money but most people live on less than $2 a day, many turn to religion, believing that only God can protect them and pull them out of poverty.

Note “poverty” is relative.

**Of the 31 transactions in the past year, profitability analysis could not be done for seven because caveats, which include information on purchase prices, were not lodged for the units. Profitability is calculated by subtracting purchase prices from selling prices. Of the remaining 24 transactions, 10 resold at a loss.

Among the loss-making transactions, four were units at The Berth, the debut project at the Cove which was launched in 2004 and completed in 2006. Three units made losses at The Oceanfront, two at the Coast, and one at the Azure.

Two in particular made seven-digit losses. A 2,982 sq ft unit at The Oceanfront sold for $5.65 million ($1,895 psf) in November last year, after it was purchased in April 2008 for $7.2 million ($2,415 psf) – a $1.55 million loss.

Another 2,820 sq ft unit at The Coast sold for $4.8 million ($1,702 psf) in January this year, two years after it was purchased at $6 million ($2,128 psf). This was a $1.2 million loss.

SLP International executive director … suggests that this could be due to owners struggling to find tenants for their units amid the weak leasing market. Some may also not be able to secure high enough rental rates to service their loans. (Most Sentosa homes are bought not for own occupation, but as investment.) “So they may find it a better option to just liquidate,” he said, adding that the location is also not the most convenient for expats to commute to the mainland for work.

Another industry watcher added that buyers who bought units at $2,100 psf and above appear to have “overpaid”. Those who profited from their resale deals mostly bought in at lower psf prices; a handful even got their units at $800, $900-plus psf back in 2006.

Meanwhile, several Sentosa Cove units are also up for sale at auction houses here. A 2,777-sq-ft unit at Turquoise condo, put up for sale by a lender at a Colliers’ auction this week, yielded no bids, despite having reduced its opening price to $4 million from its previous $5 million.

Two Sentosa homes are up for auction by DTZ, both by lenders, one at Turquoise and another at Marina Collection. Another four are for sale by private treaty (akin to private negotiations) by JLL – two at Turquoise and two at Marina Collection.

Typically, banks repossess homes and put them up for auction as part of a repayment structure when delinquent mortgagors (borrowers) are unable to find buyers and dispose of their properties themselves.

JLL’s head of auction … aid: “The owners of the two Turquoise units bought them at $7 million each, which is quite difficult to match in the current market.

“Auctioning is a good method to garner all interested parties in a room to competitively bid. Potentially, the owner can also expect to get the optimum price because it’s a competitive method of sale.”

Meanwhile, some Sentosa condos such as Cape Royale and The Residences at W have made strategic decisions to lease out their unlaunched units instead, given current soft condo prices on the Cove.

Roaring sales in the waterfront enclave back in 2006-2008 were hit by the financial crisis and had hardly recovered when the private housing market succumbed to successive rounds of cooling measures from 2009 … “For property prices anywhere, what goes up will also come down.”

Straits Times article dated 27 Sep reported on a $45 million new loan taken out by City Harvest Church (CHC). The loan was not taken from any financial institution but a logistics company listed on the Singapore Exchange called Freight Links Express Holdings (FLEH).

FLEH’s core business is in freight forwarding. To offer a loan of this size suggests its core business may have changed. Have shareholders been notified? At 8 per cent per annum, the interest charged by FLEH is also quite high. But I guess CHC is desperate and will grab anything that comes along because no financial institution will offer a religious organisation a $45 million loan to purchase properties based on expected future ‘earnings’ from worshippers.

What is interesting is that FLEH had managed to raise $100 million in a Fixed Rate Note issue bearing an interest rate of 4. 6 per cent just 4 months ago. http://www.freightlinks.net/MediaRelease/Press54.pdf These IOUs are normally used for general corporate purposes and financing investments related to its core business, certainly not for loans.

Business wise, it certainly does make sense to be earning 8 per cent while paying only 4.6 per cent without taking any risk.

However, this will set a precedent for every other listed companies on the exchange to stray from their core business. Should this be allowed by the Singapore Exchange?

Phillip Ang

Surprising that our journalists from our “constructive”, nation-building media did not raise this corporate governance issue. Waiting for govt media briefing or telephone call to tell them what to say?

While I’m sure the transaction is perfectly legal, there is the governance issue of whether a logistics provider should become a lender to a church, albeit for a sum which is “peanuts” in the context of its financials. And there is the issue of the bond issue: normally used for general corporate purposes and financing investments related to its core business, certainly not for loans.

Restores my faith in the quality of people who read and post on TRE. Glad to see that not all readers and posters are “PAP are bastards” ranters. Maybe, they moved on to TOC or TRS?

Woody Allen* once said that believing in God would be easier if He would show Himself by making a large deposit in a Swiss bank account in the director’s name.

No wonder Kong Hee (RI boy, like that thieving monk, and that ex-bishop (Methodist) of S’pore) is able to convince many people that prosperity gospel works: he is living proof of the $ that it brings. He is married Sun Ho**, who he said has rich, filthy rich, parents***. And he has Wahju Hanafi, as God’s personal ATM on earth:

— An Indonesian businessman and member of the City Harvest Church (CHC) … cast the business of saving souls in terms of a return on investment.

Justifying his $1 million-a-year donation to CHC for its Crossover Project – the church’s way of evangelising through pop music – Wahju Hanafi said: “If I spend $1 million and we win 138,000 souls, that means every soul is worth less than $1,000. To me, that is a good buy.

“I’m a businessman, and for every investment that I (make), I have to see a return. To me, in this case, the return is the souls that we are winning. If (we) are not winning souls, then I will probably pull back my money.” (BT report)

— THERE was talk of love gifts like a Sentosa condo, expensive weddings and sponsorships so pop singer Ho Yeow Sun could receive bonuses.

First, the way the evidence is heading seems to indicate, to me, remember I’m a trained lawyer, that it was one big balls-up by the CHC people. They were trying to avoid paying tax or trying to help donors avoid tax. Whether they crossed the line, and were guilty of the offences charged remains to be seen. Anyway they didn’t have the benefit of this advice: Avoiding tax is not a fiduciary duty for UK company directors, opines a top UK law firm recently. http://taxjustice.blogspot.sg/2013/09/a-legal-opinion-on-directors-duties-on.html

The general principles of the opinion apply here too. CHC is registered as a company.

Next, much has been said by the magnificient seven bloggers and other lesser mortals about the intolerance of the PAP govt of views that do not fit the “right” narrative.Sadly, netizens too can be be a pretty intolerant bunch, reminding me of the biblical passage: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone …”.

But grammar and bad manners aside, she has a very serious, valid point, on the use of the word “sorry”.As someone who is a lapsed Methodist (into meditation nowadays), and who disagrees with the prosperity gospel believers that worshiping God results in a bigger bank balance, I never viewed the clip in qn in the way netizens spreading it, or commenting on it, were trying to frame it.

I read it as him telling fellow believers that their God was “comforting” him for trials inflicted by their loving God. Waz wrong with that? It’s basic Christian doctrine. But it doesn’t fit the dominant internet narrative that religious people are stupid, irrational and intolerant.

Methinks also there is a lot of jealousy out there on the internet. It is not only hostile territory for the PAPpies (rightly so), but also for successful people. There seems to be a “tall poppy syndrome” on the internet. Google the term if you are a “green-eyed “char tou”, envious of others.

The vileness of the attacks on pastor boy and CHC are gd examples (Auntie’s different as she can’t sing or act). I’ll blog on other examples. Juz because the PAPpies do DRUMS to the beat of RAVII****, doesn’t mean we have to follow them. Be mean by all means (this blog believes in being mean, provided there are reasonable grounds to be mean) but don’t do the RAVII DRUMS.

Use this method (used successfully by a secret police force) to evaluate the reasonableness of data before being mean.

I was surprised to read that a must-go annual major Christian mega-show, scheduled for early August, has been cancelled because of the troubles enveloping CHC. The hubbie of Auntie Sun was the executive director of the show, CHC members provided the manpower to run the annual show, and CHC, this year, the venue.

It seems one Canon Wong announced on the festival’s Facebook and website on 13 July that in view of Kong Hee and CHC “currently undergoing a challenging period”, the festival’s committee had decided not to go ahead with this year’s festival.

While, CHC and its members cannot be faulted or blamed for not wanting to put in the effort for the show this year, it would have been good PR for the church, its members and its “prosperity” gospel: When the going gets tough, the tough get going” would be a great message to tell people about the CHC members.

Or in biblical terms:

— “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

— “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Good boxers never ever give the impression that they are hurt by the opponent’s punches. Remember the “Thrilla in Manila” or when Ali forced himself up when he was knocked down by Fraser in their first fight?

And anyway, by carrying on as usual, they would be showing the finger to their detractors.

As it is, the Commissioner of Charities has made findings of fact that CHC management have failed to appeal. This could account for the very aggressive show of support (members keeping up their spirits by showing defiance?) for Kong, the other four charged, and Auntie, that some (not me, though), including a top criminal lawyer, think amounts to contempt of court.

But I’m surprised that the other churches didn’t step in to offer the manpower for hospitality, ushering and security that is usually provided by CHC staff and members. CHC could still provide the managers, technicans and venue.

As to those netizens bitching at Kong, Sun and the CHC because of the lifestyles of Kong (Sentosa Cove penthouse) and Auntie Sun (Hollywood mansion and lifestyles for herself, and various relations and friends: “The [African prosperity gospel] pastors’ wealth raises eyebrows. Some have their own planes for jetting between the churches and the offices of their sprawling business conglomerates. In March David Oyedopo, reckoned to be Nigeria’s richest pastor by Forbes, a business magazine that puts his wealth at $150m, added an airline to his empire.” (From a recent issue of the Economist)

In this, I pointed out, among a few other things, some in favour of CHC members, some against, that CHC members were wrong in thinking that CHC’s money could be spent as they wished: that it was not their grandfather’s money. This post expands the point I was trying to make because based on their media comments, some CHC members are showing a great deal of entitlement over spending taxpayers’ money over Sun Ho’s Hollywood life-style and Crossover Project.

Maybe, they don’t realise they are using the money of other S’poreans, who may not share their idea of Christianity, or who may believe in other gods, or even no god.

Methinks the members of the City Harvest Church in expressing their love and support of Kong, the other four accused and Geisha Sun are forgetting what Jesus is reported to have said in Luke 20:25, Matthew 22:21 and Mark 12:17 about the relationship that should exist between the church and the state. Luke’s version reads, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s”.

CHC management and members are saying that how the money spent by the five is a CHC internal affair and nothing to do with others, implying that the Commissioner of Charities should leave them alone: it’s their money and if they want to spend it on their Auntie Sun and her hollywood buddies so be it.

But the problem with this view is that the status of a charity is granted not by God but by Caesar (the state).

CHC could have opted not to become a charity, but it chose to register as a charity (presumably because it was greedy for — OK taking advantage of — the tax benefits and reputational branding of being a charity). It becomes subject to the Commissioner of Charities, and all that entails.

It is no longer a private organisation, and the laws and regulations relating to charities applies.

In return for the tax benefits and seal of gd corporate governance that CHC gets by being designated as a charity, it has to play by S’pore’s (Caesar’s) laws, and in particular, the laws and regulations that CoC’s enforces. These include not “misusing” (as defined by Caesar’s laws, not the laws of God as understood by CHC) the charity’s funds . It cannot pick and choose which laws and regulations it has to obey.

Not their grandfather’s money.

Because of the exemptions from tax that a charity and donors get, the tax-paying public is subsidising Geriatric Gyrating Geisha’s Hollywood life-style and music performances. This explains how the state subsidises a charity, any charity.

As Christians, CHC church members accept that it’s either God’s way or the highway to Hell. Likewise they must accept that by becoming a charity, CHC and its managers have to obey the laws of Caesar. And that if the managers fail to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”, they will be punished by Caesar’s courts. At least there are courts. Their God is prosectuor, judge and executor (OK, also the defender).

“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up,” as Hosea 8:7 says.

No wonder other Christians are worried. CHC members should listen to this lady and “sit down and shut up” before they upset other S’poreans with their sense of entitlement that other S’poreans must subsidise Auntie Ho’s Hollywood life-style and Crossover Project.

CHC management and members, and Kong and his Geisha seem unable to appreciate that hard times for the many mean greater scrutiny of the few who flaunt living in Sentosa Cove penthouses or Hollywood mansions, especially when the former are subsidising the latter’s lavish life-style.

They shouldn’t forget that one reason why the PAP government is unpopular is because of its perceived indifference to the widening income gap. And remember, the PAP ministers don’t show-off their life-styles unlike Auntie Ho.

In a coming post (hopefully next week), I will prophesie that Kong and the management of CHC are preparing the way to take a course of action more usually associated with a certain political party.